Page 118

Robert rode at the rear of the army.

On either side of him, dozens of soldiers struggled to push the heavy Dragon-Slayer Crossbows, the massive wheels on the mounts creaking with piercing metal friction.

"Gray Hawk" Shroud also rode beside Robert on a black horse.

"This damned place is getting hotter and hotter."

Robert wiped the sweat off himself, complaining.

He asked the aide, "Why is the army moving so slowly? How long until we can get through Terrell’s Maw?"

The aide replied solemnly, "My lord, our army just went through a bloody battle. It’s normal for the pace to be slower."

"Lord Robert!"

"We’ve found a stone wall blocking Terrell’s Maw up ahead!"

A messenger arrived on horseback, reporting urgently.

"What?"

"How is that possible? They just passed through!" Robert looked utterly incredulous.

Shroud’s voice grew serious: "It’s a spellcaster. Embers Nest has a high-level spellcaster. If I’m not mistaken, that should be Wall of Stone, a fifth-circle evocation spell capable of creating an indestructible stone barrier."

"It seems they anticipated we’d pursue them and prepared accordingly."

"Then what should we do?"

Robert was beginning to panic, sweat pouring down his forehead.

Shroud spoke calmly, "My lord, don’t worry. This stone wall can be broken, and even if the enemy is a grand mage, it’s challenging to maintain this spell for long."

"Good, good."

Robert mumbled to himself.

He took out his handkerchief again, wiping his forehead.

Compared to when the allied forces first entered, Trier Valley now felt like a sweltering furnace. It was baffling how the weather here could be so unpredictably harsh.

Robert could even smell the scent of burnt dust in the air.

Wait—

Fire?

Heat?

The red dragon is known as the "Dragon of Volcanoes."

As this thought struck him, combined with the sudden retreat of the Ember Legion and the red dragon’s absence, an ominous premonition crept into Robert’s mind.

Unfortunately, his premonitions were often accurate.

"M-my lord…"

The aide’s voice trembled beside him.

Robert’s thoughts were interrupted. He looked to his side, impatiently asking, "What is it?"

"Turn around, my lord."

"And you’ll understand."

The aide’s tone was despairing, with a hint of tears.

Robert finally realized something was amiss. Turning around on his horse, he was so shocked that he fell to the ground.

He collapsed, gazing up at the sky in despair.

"By Tempus…"

Flames, endless flames.

The distant half of the sky was dyed orange-red, the horizon becoming a searing, flickering line of fire as thick smoke billowed up, gradually engulfing the land.

Gusts of wind from the southwest howled, flipping corpses on the battlefield, flinging severed limbs like locusts into the air. The pieces ignited in the heat above the fire, turning into flaming projectiles raining down.

And at the center of the inferno—

A massive red dragon slowly flapped its wings.

The red dragon was like an incarnation of flames, the heart of the vast blaze. With each wingbeat, the flames pulsed like a heartbeat, growing fiercer.

"Shroud…"

"Is this… also an illusion?"

It was a question that didn’t need an answer.

Robert stared at the sky, his face illuminated by the fire. He could already feel the hot air and the sulfurous scent.

Shroud gave no reply, staring blankly at the distance, muttering in disbelief:

"Weather manipulation…"

"Eighth circle… that’s an eighth-circle spell!"

The gray-robed mage screamed in near hysteria.

The allied soldiers were also struck by the terrifying spectacle, crying out in despair, wailing, and praying. Yet before this boundless sea of fire, nothing seemed to matter.

"Oh, gods…"

"This must be hell."

"No…"

"How did we ever make an enemy of such a being!"

Their path was sealed by the unbreakable stone wall, and behind them lay endless flames.

To survive, they could only hope for a divine miracle to quell the disaster, but such miracles hadn’t happened in a millennium of the Third Age.

In other words, it was an inescapable death trap.

This was a purgatory engulfed in flames!

"Roar—"

Cassius, surrounded by boiling flames, let out a mighty, awe-inspiring roar.

"Foolish humans…"

"I am fire itself; I am death!"

"I shall bring you utter destruction—"

The intense heat continued to rise, forming columns of hot air. Countless fire serpents erupted from the ground, swirling and coiling upwards. The southwest wind intensified, creating a powerful vortex that swept up grass, corpses, flames, and ash, spiraling into the sky.

Countless fire serpents merged into a massive fire tornado, swirling over the Trier Valley for miles.

It was as if the world had been torn open.

And the red dragon was at the center of the hundred-meter-high pillar of fire, slowly flapping its wings. Each beat of its wings made the fire tornado more intense and grand.

The fire tornado ravaged the land, burning everything.

And the allied forces had no escape route.

Robert snapped out of his daze, scrambling to his feet. Staring at the red dragon in the sky, a look of grim determination flashed in his eyes.

A calamity can’t be killed.

But the source of the calamity can.

Robert looked toward the Dragon-Slayer Crossbows covered in thick cloth, seeing a final glimmer of hope.

These enormous crossbows had once slain the "Glacier Wing" that ravaged the North a century ago. Surely, they would be effective against this dragon, an incarnation of disaster.

His eyes hardened as he muttered to himself:

"Kill it. Just kill it…"

"Prepare the Dragon-Slayer Crossbows! At all costs, kill this damned red dragon!"

Robert shouted with reckless abandon.

He shoved aside the panicked soldiers around him, throwing off the thick cloth covering the Dragon-Slayer Crossbow and straining to position it.

"My lord, let me help you."

The loyal soldiers nearby saw the count’s intent and, mustering their courage, stepped forward to help, pushing the heavy crossbow together, aiming it at the red dragon in the sky.

A massive bolt, as thick as an arm and over two meters long, lay quietly on the loading bed, its iron-tipped head gleaming coldly with stains of old blood.

It had once pierced a dragon’s heart.

And now, destiny called once more.

The rampaging flames drew closer, about to engulf everything.

"As long as this bolt hits…"

"It will all be over."

Robert aimed the Dragon-Slayer Crossbow at the sky, staring intently at the approaching red dragon. Sweat dripped from his chin, his breath held, heart pounding.

Through the blazing wall of fire, he could see those golden, vertical pupils gazing down upon him.

Flames filled the heavens, the air thick with tension.

Man and dragon locked eyes.

Robert thought he saw a trace of disdain in those eyes.

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